Battery problems

[Andy J]

Thank you for letting e join the group. I have been experiencing persistent difficulties in starting my 2007 Toyota Alphard Hybrid over the last few months. It has not been used that regularly and so I quite expected to initially have to jump start it. However, despite taking it out for runs to charge the battery, each time I leave it overnight it will only start with jump leads or a power pack. I have booked it in to a local garage for diagnostics. Does it sound as if the battery needs replacing or something else? I am not that experienced technically so any advice most gratefully received. 

[ThuMentaliss]

It appears from your experience's that your battery maybe being drained by something being left on which is draining your battery overnight the sad news is ANDY that these days there's not many vehicle competent electricians out there who can resolve this issue and to be fair, the standard Multi Meter/fuse tests might indicate that there is a 'spike' in one of the fuse's but this spike (voltage drainage) then has to be found, not necessarily an easy matter due to the Alphard's wiring system which in my view

is one of the worst out there,  the reason I know this is, I have experienced exactly the same problem and after spending £100 on getting my issue looked at all they confirmed was that I had a spike from one of the fuses but to trace where the voltage drainage was coming from would have cost me another £100 +...since then I found what might be the problem that was a very loose negative earth connection within the rear fog light system.

[Andy J]

Thanks Larry. I was thinking that there might be some kind of parasitic drain but cannot find any obvious (visual) cause. The garage that I was recommended specialises in hybrid diagnostic https://swiftmotors.co.uk so hopefully (fingers crossed) they will be able to locate the cause.

[Jeza]

Could just be your battery has lost its capacity with being discharged with lack of use. There will always be a drain on the battery, alarm, remote locking, head unit etc. The 12v battery is not used for actual starting the engine, just control and monitoring systems.

 

[Mike 138]

I have had a similar problem with my hybrid alphard in the past 3 years and have had to replace the battery twice. I checked the battery and there was a parasitic drain however was unable to get to the problem as it seemed to fix itself after I fitted a new battery. I have decided that the problem may be due to the conversion with added appliances like the fridge.i just take the van for a long run every couple of weeks or disconnect the battery if it stands for longer.

[Montecrist0]

Try charging the battery fully, remove the earth cable from the battery, measure the voltage across the battery, then leave it uncoupled for a couple of days and check the voltage again. Ideally the first reading would be about 12.8 volts and the second about 12 - 12.4v if the second reading is under 12v then the battery most likely is on it's way out. If the second reading is good, above 12v, then there may be a drain when connected to the vehicle, (a hidden interior light on, a door switch not operating correctly, etc and don't forget the alarm system will drain the battery quite quickly, 4 or 5 days if not run regularly). Easiest way if it's possible keep the battery topped up every week with a charger if you're not using the vehicle. Good luck!

PS you don't need a special stop/start battery.

After thought, don't forget to reset the windows after disconnecting the battery.

Edited January 27, 2023 by Montecrist0

[Bob Thomas]

1 hour ago, Montecrist0 said:

Try charging the battery fully, remove the earth cable from the battery, measure the voltage across the battery, then leave it uncoupled for a couple of days and check the voltage again. Ideally the first reading would be about 12.8 volts and the second about 12 - 12.4v if the second reading is under 12v then the battery most likely is on it's way out. If the second reading is good, above 12v, then there may be a drain when connected to the vehicle, (a hidden interior light on, a door switch not operating correctly, etc and don't forget the alarm system will drain the battery quite quickly, 4 or 5 days if not run regularly). Easiest way if it's possible keep the battery topped up every week with a charger if you're not using the vehicle. Good luck!

PS you don't need a special stop/start battery.

After thought, don't forget to reset the windows after disconnecting the battery.

 

Good reminder to isolate and test the source first :-) 

[M0ley]

Hi Andy J, sadly your story sounds absolutely identical to ours! We have a 2004 imported Toyota Alphard Hybrid with exactly the same history, eventually requiring jump starting every time we used it even after we'd just driven 200 miles! We took it in to the Toyota main dealer a few times and, apart from putting their diagnostic machine onto it, they did nothing to investigate further or try and fix it. This is what the diagnostic machine showed:

• C1241 Low Battery Positive Voltage or Abnormally High Battery Positive Voltage
• C1256 Accumulator Low Pressure
• C1365 Acc Pressure Sensor

In the end, through this forum in fact, we got a tip to try Cambridge Hybrid Vehicle Specialists in Waterbeach near Cambridge which, by sheer good fortune, is only a couple of miles from us. The very pleasant owner, Ajay, said this was a known problem and often the cause was corrosion in a wiring loom that is accessed from somewhere under the front passenger footwell. Also, Toyota had not put the correct battery (our third replacement) in the vehicle. He has replaced and cleaned up the corroded area and given us a new (higher specification) battery. We've only just brought the car home. We'll see if this does the trick but Ajay said that before he replaced the wiring loom there was a drain showing on the battery (Toyota said they couldn't detect a drain at all) and now he has replaced the wiring loom there is no drain showing. Fingers crossed this may have solved the problem. I guess we'll only know if hasn't fixed the problem if the current souped-up battery becomes worn out from an ongoing drain. But if that happens I'll post again. We're feeling hopeful.

[Andy J]

Thank you all for your advice. I had a local garage run a diagnostic check and the main battery needed replacing - result, no more problems!

[Michael Brown]

Hi All, very interesting reading about all the battery problems. I have broken down twice now out on the road and twice needed to be transported home via RAC. When I try to start Alfie, there does not seem to be enough power to do it and the green READY light goes off and it wil not start. Alfie started up fine for 3 months since the last new battery fitted. My last 12. If the 12volt battery does not start the vehicle, what does and is there a battery charging issue ? The 12 volt battery I have is mounted at floor level to the rear of front 2 seats. YUASA YBX 3000, 60 A/h 500 A(EN). The guy who got the battery for me, I'd asked for a suitable battery for a stop/start engine. it cost enough at £260. ( not bought through Brightspark ) I expected more than 3 months out of it. The guy who fixed it before was Brightspark Automotive in Southbourne, Hampshire, Nr Emsworth. tel : 07774152660 Peter is a very busy man and Alfie is going there in a few week time. No need to rush out to buy a new 12volt battery if its not the problem, it can't be that quick a fix could it.

Edited April 2, 2023 by Michael Brown
add phone no for recommendation

[Michael Brown]

So what is the correct 12volt battery to fit to a 2007 2.4 hybrid taking that it fits between to the rear of the front seats. I will measure mine when I go outside. Have folks had problems with the battery charging via alternator ??

[Andy J]

I had a YUASSA YBX5063 fitted into mine a couple of months ago.

 

[Michael Brown]

As Alfie has broken down twice now and it is at Peter Holland's  BrightSpark garage, he tells me the Inverter has broken down  which affects lots of things. He will be hunting around for parts to repair it if it can be repaired.  Fingers crossed